School News

Silver Creek Middle School held a dedication ceremony on June 9, complete with student performances, a host of guest speakers and a tour of the new building, which opened at the start of the 2017-2018 school year.

Among the student groups that performed: the jazz band, orchestra, band, choir and Silver Melodies, the school’s a capella group. Speakers included Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner; Catherine Provost from U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s office, and representatives from the school’s PTSA, including Karoline Shannon, Patty McDermott and Paula Andalo.

The school, led by Principal Traci Townsend, is more than 155,000 square feet and features 11 laboratories for technology, computers and science, four project rooms, special education classrooms and support spaces. Silver Creek opened its doors to more than 550 students in sixth and seventh grades.

Crayfish, Insects and Frogs, Oh My!

Sixty students from Glenallan Elementary School participated in a BioBlitz at Brookside Nature Center on June 7. During a BioBlitz, members of the community and scientists work together to collect data on the diversity of living things in a specified area.

Led by local experts from MCPS, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, county parks, and the Audubon Naturalist Society, students explored an aquatic station for fish and macroinvertebrates and then a terrestrial station for plants, mammals and other terrestrial animals.

Fourth Graders Think Big with New Initiative

This year, fourth grade students in four elementary schools—Arcola, Dr. Charles Drew, Fairland and Olney—participated in a new initiative, Think Big Cafe. This initiative was sponsored by Superintendent Jack Smith and developed in collaboration with MCPS, Strathmore and Glenstone Museum. Students were engaged in a creative and project-based arc that ran throughout the school year.

Activities the students engaged in included a visit to Glenstone Museum to view contemporary outdoor sculpture; livestream video chats with musicians from Scrap Arts Music who inspired students through the creation of their own instruments out of industrial waste; and a concert by Scrap Arts Music at The Music Center at Strathmore. Throughout the year, students also had meaningful conversations in which they analyzed, critiqued and created artistic works. The project arc culminated with a community presentation at each school. The different themes explored by the schools included Family, Community and Environment.